Silver Lining
by Twiclipsee
Summary: Leila just moved into town and isn't exactly loving it. Dally hates plenty and doesn't care about anything. Can these two completely different people find the silver lining...with each other? Rated T for some language and possibly a few other things.
1. Chapter 1

Dally POV

I woke up that morning on the Curtis' couch. Nothin' new really. Nobody else was awake yet, and I considered just getting up and leaving. If I stayed a while longer I'd probably get some breakfast, I thought. Well I guess that's decided.

Leila POV

I woke up in my new room. I guess once I thought about it, it was pretty nice. I can't believe we've only been here for a day, I thought. My family and I moved from New Jersey to Tulsa, Oklahoma just yesterday. Why'd we leave? No reason at all. That's what annoyed me the most. My parents wanted a change, so here we are. Smack dab in a town I would have never even thought of had it not been for my impromptu move. It wasn't that I didn't like it here, it's just that my life back at home was everything to me. All my friends and family were there. Coming out here into Oklahoma was like starting over and that's never what I wanted. My life was perfectly fine, thank you very much.

Dally POV

As usual, cake was on the menu this morning. Two-bit stuffed his face with most of it as he sat in front of the tv. He looked up and saw me looking at him.

"Wha?" He said with half the cake in his mouth.

"Ugh cover your mouth, will ya?" Two-bit laughed.

"What's a matter Dal'? Don't ya like see food?" Two-bit cracked up over his joke like it was the funniest thing. Just then Ponyboy walked in from his room.

"Hey, kid. Darry told me to tell ya he left early for work." Dally looked on as Ponyboy began searching for cake in the ice box. "Oh, and if you want cake your outta luck. Ain't that right Two-bit?" By then Two-bit had almost finished the cake. He let out a grunt of agreement.

Leila POV

I got out of bed and cleaned up. I walked into the kitchen just as my mom was putting a plate of pancakes on the table.

"Hey sweetie. Did you sleep well?" she asked me.

"Yeah, I guess," I replied nonchalantly.

"Lei I promise once you go to school and meet some new friends everything will work out," she said optimistically.

Yeah, cause it was that easy. Just go to school and friends will just come to me. Like that 'll happen. I ate my breakfast in silence. I was thinking of how my first day at school would be a disaster. My dad walked in with my brother Matt behind him.

"Hey Matt," I said as I pulled him in for a hug. He pushed me away and sat down. "Gosh, and I thought I was grumpy," I said as I walked back to my room. I swear, my little six-year-old brother could be almost as moody as me. And believe me, that is not a good thing.

I walked into my room and looked in the mirror. My outfit and hair looked okay. I began checking my make-up when I thought aw to hell with it! I flopped onto my bed. It's not like I'm gonna be doing anything today. I only just moved here and much to my mothers dismay a group of new friends didn't magically appear yet. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. I heard two voices coming from the front of the house. I checked myself again and walked out just in time to see my mother inviting people in. Huh. Maybe I spoke too soon.

Dally POV

Me, Pony, Johnny, and Two-bit all walked slowly down the street. We were pretty much bored as hell and decided to stop into the Dingo. We ordered a few cokes and sat down in some seats by the window.

"Can't believe we start school again tomorrow," Ponyboy grumbled. Ah, school. I almost forgot about that. Usually I don't go but this year was different.

"Hey, I forgot to tell ya guys I'm goin' back," I stated. Three questioning faces looked back at me.

"Uh. May I ask why?" Two-bit looked up at me like I had ten heads. I sighed.

"I'm bored! I got nothin' to do, so I figured why not," I told them.

"Hm. True. That's why I stay and don't graduate," Two-bit said with a smile on his face.

"Yeah, _that's _why," Ponyboy said quietly. Two-bit just glared at him as we all laughed.

I looked out the window and saw a flash of red hair. I saw the girl turn her head slightly. Cherry Valance. Ugh, this broad again? I was not in the mood. Although I used to have a thing for her, she was just so damn annoying. I only put up with her cause Pony had a crush on her or somethin' She was with a girl I'd never seen before. She had long dark hair, almost black. They were getting out of Cherry's car and walking into the Dingo. I couldn't see the girl's face really well until she walked in.

Leila POV

Two people walked into my house. They both had red hair, but one was noticeably younger. She looked about my age.

"...Oh, come in," my mom welcomed them.

"Your house is beautiful," the older woman said as she looked around. My mom was really into design and all that, so she was always decorating.

"Why, thank you," my mom smiled humbly. She noticed me walking towards them. "This is my daughter, Leila."

"Hi, nice to meet you," I smiled and said politely.

"This is Mrs. Valance and her daughter Sherri." The younger girl looked up.

"You can just call me Cherry," she said.

"We just wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood," Mrs. Valance said with a smile.

"Oh, thank you. So far we've just been trying to get used to everything," my mom explained.

They both started talking about the neighborhood and what not. I pretty much blocked it out. They walked into the living room, Mrs Valance saying something about a tour of the house. I looked over at Cherry and she smiled.

"It must be hard. Having to start over," she said sympathetically. I laughed.

"Yeah. It does. I've really been dreading the first day of school," I confessed to her.

"It won't be that bad. I mean, Tulsa isn't paradise, believe me, but it has it's moments," she said convincingly. I didn't buy it. I raised my eyebrow at her and she laughed. "Come on, I'll give you a tour and show that it isn't all that bad."

First, Cherry said we'd stop at a place called the Dingo. We got into her car and she began to explain more.

"It's like a diner. Lots of people hang out there, and it's pretty nice." I nodded.

"Sounds fun," I said dryly. She rolled her eyes and laughed. I looked outside at the houses and people that we passed. My house was right were the West-side of town started. It was nice, but I saw even nicer homes on our way into town yesterday. I had a feeling Cherry lived somewhere around there.

Suddenly, the car stopped. "Here we are. Wanna grab a coke?" Cherry asked as we got out of the car.

"Sure." We walked into the Dingo. It looked okay, I guess. Lots of kids our age were there. Some eating, and others just sitting and hanging around. We ordered our cokes and began searching for a table. I looked around and stopped. Suddenly, I locked eyes with a boy across the room. His eyes were icy blue, and they were looking right at me.


	2. Chapter 2

DPOV

They walked in and I saw her. I had to admit, she was cute. She had long dark hair and brown eyes. She seemed like a Soc, but for some reason I didn't think she really was. She didn't look like them. Most Soc girls looked stuck up and down right annoying. She looked quiet and innocent. Crap. What the hell am I thinking? What am I Ponyboy? I tore my eyes away from her and nudged Pony's leg under the table.

"Hey Pone, look who it is," I said and smiled at him teasingly. He looked up at Cherry, barely noticing the other girl. He got a goofy grin on his face and called her over. She almost didn't come, but eventually she and her friend walked over and sat at the table next to ours. I looked at the girl again and got a really weird feeling in my stomach. I promptly ignored it.

"Hi Poyboy," Cherry said and grinned at him. She looked at the rest of us and smiled halfheartedly. Huh. I had to give her credit for that. She usually ignores the rest of us Greasers. Except for me and Johnny of course. Whenever she saw me, I got the pleasure of seeing disgust and annoyance cross her face. Whenever she saw Johnny, she acted jumpy and weird. She's been like that after what happened with Bob. She usually didn't act nice at all. She must be pulling somethin'.

"This is Leila," Cherry wavered her hand toward the girl beside her. Leila. "And Leila, this is Ponyboy, Johnny, Two-bit and last but not least-." I cut Cherry off and offered Leila my hand.

"I'm Dallas, nice to meet ya'," I said as I winked at her. Cherry just rolled her eyes. Leila smiled at me and shook my hand.

"Hi," Leila muttered quietly.

"Well hello, Leila," Two-bit drawled. "Ya new 'round here?" She smiled and nodded.

"Yup. Straight from New Jersey as of yesterday," she said matter-of-factually.

"Huh. Well welcome to Tulsa!" he grinned from ear to ear, making Leila laugh. "Thanks."

Cherry got up suddenly. "Uh, ya know what? We should go. There's lot's more to see and plenty better to offer," Cherry said. She looked straight at me as she said that last bit.

"Oh well, guess we're not good enough for ya Leila," I said with mock sadness. I looked at her as she was hiding a smile. I looked over at the guys. "What're we gonna do guys? Cherry Valance is leavin' us," I smirked at her. "Good riddance." Cherry glared at me.

"Sorry Pony. I'll see ya around," Cherry grabbed Leila's arm.

"It was nice meeting you guys," Leila smiled and followed Cherry out the door. I watched her leave.

"What was that I just saw in your eyes Dal'?" Two-bit said.

"Huh?" I looked over at him.

"Was that...love I just saw? Did someone finally capture the heart of Dallas Winston?" Two-bit carried on, thinkin' he was some kind of comedian.

"Ha-ha. Funny. Please, that Leila girl ain't my type," I told them. "By now I think you should know the type of girls I like. And that was not one of them." Technically I wasn't lying. Leila really wasn't the type of girl I'd think of going with. Socy girls were too much work and they definitely weren't worth the time. Not to mention she was too shy and quiet looking. That's usually not what I go for. She's just a pretty face, not somethin' I'd actually pursue.

LPOV

The boy's eyes were still on me. Not that I was complaining, especially considering that those eyes belonged to one of the hottest guys I've ever seen. He wasn't one of those boys who were so gorgeous that they looked pretty and fake. He was rugged and maybe even a little dangerous looking.

Suddenly I heard Cherry groan next to me. "Great. Just when I try to show you how good Tulsa is, we run into one of the worst things about it," she said annoyed. I looked at the group the boy with the blue eyes sat with. What was she talking about? I didn't think they looked that bad. I mean sure, they had tons of grease in their hair, but that's just how some guys wore their hair.

"What do you mean?" I looked at her. Just as she opened her mouth to explain, one of the boys at the table called out to her. She stopped and looked at him.

"I'll have to explain later. Come on," she said. We walked over to them and sat down at a table close by. "Hi Ponyboy," Cherry said to the boy that called her over and smiled. I cracked a grin. Ponyboy? Was that seriously his name? I didn't have to worry about him noticing me laughing cause his eyes were glued to Cherry. Well, looks like someone has a major crush.

"This is Leila," Cherry wavered her hand toward the me. There were four guys at the table. The one that called her over had brown and reddish hair and green eyes. Next to him was small and nervous looking boy. He had black hair and dark eyes. Next to him was a guy with a crazy smile and sideburns. The last one was the boy who had been looking at me. Like I said, he was pretty hot. He had pale blonde hair. "And Leila, this is Ponyboy, Johnny, Two-bit and last but not least-." She got cut off by the boy with the blue eyes. He took my hand and I could practically feel my face heat up.

"I'm Dallas, nice to meet ya'," he said and winked at me. I couldn't help but smile. Cherry just rolled her eyes. I shook his hand and tried to clear my mind. That was one of the things I hated about myself. I acted horribly shy in front of guys.

"Hi," I muttered quietly. Ugh, could I be any more obvious?

"Well hello, Leila," said the boy I think was named . . .Two-bit? Gosh they had strange names. "Ya new 'round here?" I smiled and nodded.

"Yup. Straight from New Jersey as of yesterday," I replied.

"Huh. Well welcome to Tulsa!" he said loudly and I laughed.

"Thanks."

Cherry got up suddenly. "Uh, ya know what? We should go. There's lot's more to see and plenty better to offer," Cherry said. I saw her throw a glance at Dallas as she said that last bit.

"Oh well, guess we're not good enough for ya Leila," Dallas said with a frown. I hid a smile, unsuccessfully. "What're we gonna do guys? Cherry Valance is leavin' us," He smirked. "Good riddance." Well, I guess he doesn't like her. I'd have to find out why later cause Cherry was pulling away on my arm.

"Sorry Pony. I'll see you around," Cherry said to him and looked genuinely sorry.

"It was nice meeting you guys," I said before Cherry pulled me out the door. As we left I swore I could still feel Dallas's eyes on me. Yeah right, don't get ahead of yourself, I thought. I huffed as we walked outside. Cherry jumped into the car, wasting no time. I followed suit and got in. She started the car and began driving to God knows where.

"So, care to explain?" I asked raising my eyebrows at her. She sighed heavily.

"It's a long story," she said looking away.

"Well, I have time," I said gently. If it was that bad than I shouldn't force it out of her. But I really wanted to know.

"Alright. Hold on," she looked at the rode and made a sudden turn. "We'll go to my house and we can hang out. I'll even invite my friend Marcia over so you can meet her. But of course after I tell you the story," she said and concentrated on the road. I nodded.

"Alright."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: There is absolutely no slash between Johnny and Dally in this story. They're just sharing a moment, and telling each other how they really feel lol. R&R ! :D

CHAPTER 3

LPOV

We got to Cherry's house and she parked her car in the driveway. Her house was among the biggest I've seen so far in Tulsa. I figured she was rich, but my God now she seemed like she was loaded. I followed her up to the front door silently.

"My mom is probably still at your house and my father is at work. We got the place to ourselves," she said and opened the door. Her house looked even bigger from the inside. I had to admit it was pretty amazing.

"Here, let's go up to my room," Cherry said, leading me up the winding staircase.

Her room was like the rest of the house, big and impressive. Just like any other girl, there were some poster on her walls and a large area reserved for make-up. She even had couch in her room. I sat on the couch and looked over at Cherry. She was sitting on the bed looking out her window.

"You know, if you really don't want to talk about it, it's fine," I said to her. I'd feel rude pushing it out of her if it was causing her to be this upset. I couldn't imagine what it was.

"No, no. I'm alright. I just haven't talked about it in a while, that's all," she said and looked up at me.

"There's two groups here in Tulsa," she started, "the Socs and the Greasers."

Groups? What was she talking about? In my old town we didn't have anything like that. I mean, we all had our little cliques, but it wasn't just two big groups against each other.

"The Socs live on one side of town, and are rich. The Greasers live on the other side, and they're poor. They're both kind of like gangs, but not as organized. I wish I could say the Socs were the innocent ones, but the truth is both sides aren't too tuff. Socs always end up getting drunk and going after some Greasers. Picking fights and showing off. The Greasers go out and jump random people,steal from stores and carry around switchblades," Cherry explained to me.

This all really shocked me. Tulsa was very different from the town I came from. I was never afraid to walk the streets. I never thought of strangers passing me by as potential threats. It was a whole new concept to me.

"That group we saw today, they're part of the Curtis gang. If I had to pick the most decent group of Greasers it would be them. But the only ones I actually like are Ponyboy and his brother Sodapop. The rest I don't really know and, well two of them don't exactly make me feel comfortable."

"Which ones don't you like? Were they all there today at the Dingo?" I asked her, trying to understand.

"Out of the whole gang there are seven of them. Steve, Darry, and Sodapop weren't there at the Dingo. And the two that make me uncomfortable are Dally and Johnny," she said to me.

As hot as I thought Dally was, I guess I could see why he might make Cherry uncomfortable. But, Johnny? The quiet, scared looking kid next to Ponyboy? He didn't look like he could hurt a fly.

"Why does Johnny make you uncomfortable?" I asked curiously.

"He killed my boyfriend," Cherry said quietly. My jaw literally dropped. Johnny killed someone? He looked so innocent.

"I know, he doesn't look the type. He isn't really. He only did it for self defense," Cherry told me.

"Bob, my boyfriend, he was almost like the leader of the Socs. He was cocky, hot-tempered, and always looking for a fight. Besides all that, the way everyone else saw him, he could be sweet and kind when he wanted to."

"Him and his friends were drunk that night. They had seen me and my friend Marcia with the boys at the drive in and went looking for them. They almost drowned Ponyboy, and Johnny stabbed him, trying to save Pony and himself. I can't say I blame Johnny for what he did. Bob was asking for it and all Johnny was trying to do was defend himself, but," Cherry sighed. "But I just can't be around the person who killed Bob. I just can't," Cherry's voice broke at the last word.

I felt horrible for making her talk about this. I got up from the couch and sat by Cherry on her bed.

"It's okay. I shouldn't have brought all this up," I muttered to her.

"No. It-it actually helps a little. Talking about it I mean," she said and smiled a little.

"So why don't you like Dally?" I questioned her, trying to change the subject.

"Oh, there are so many reasons," Cherry said with a bitter smile.

"I had a thing for him a while ago, but I got over it pretty quickly," she said with a small laugh. "He got a little too forward for my taste and I threw a coke in his face. Plus, I guess I just don't like him. I don't like him, and he doesn't like me."

"Hm," I said quietly. I was still trying to understand Tulsa. I tried to picture the boys at the table I saw today. Were they really hoods? I guess if I only judged them by their looks, they might be. I just couldn't picture it, though. Boy, this town was not what I had expected.

DPOV

It wasn't long before Two-bit left,probably to go find somethin' better to do. Ponyboy had to go too. Darry wanted him home early cause of school starting tomorrow. Me and Johnny walked him home.

"See ya guys," Pony said as he walked up the steps to his porch. "Oh,hey, Dally?" Ponyboy turned around and looked at me.

"Yeah," I said impatiently.

"Are you really going to school tomorrow?" he asked me suspiciously.

"No. I was lying," I said with a straight face. I looked back at him and rolled my eyes. "Yeah, I'm goin'. Didn't ya hear me the first time I said it?" I cracked.

"Just checking," Ponyboy said walking into his house.

"See ya, Pony," Johnny called to him as we walked away.

We walked silently. I looked over at Johnny. He was looking up at the sunset. I knew he liked that sort of thing, so I didn't disturb him. A while ago, he asked me to look at one. At first I just thought he was crazy, but I did it anyway. It was when he was dying that he first asked me that. I would have done anything he wanted me to do in that moment. Hell, I'd probably do anything he wanted me to do now too. Cause he was Johnny.

I used to feel like a huge sap when I realized my feelings for Johnny. He was the only thing in my life that mattered. He was the only thing I cared about. I would say that I loved him like a sibling, but it was something more than that. It wasn't just like he was a brother to me. I cared so much about him, that when I'd thought he had died, I wanted to die too. Thank God everything worked out in the end.

I looked up at the sunset and remembered the first time I watched one.

_Me and Johnny had just gotten out of the hospital. We'd been stuck inside the Curtis house all day. The doctors said we needed rest, but my God we were so bored! We left the house and headed for the lot. There was nothing else to do and we had to get back soon anyway. We got to the lot and sat in the grass._

"_Hey, Dal'," Johnny said quietly._

"_Yeah, Johnny," I said and looked at him. He looked upset, but we had both looked upset these past few days. It still shocked us that we both almost died._

"_Why-why did you try and kill yourself?" he asked me, looking like he was gonna cry. I was hoping he wouldn't ask me this. I didn't even fully understand what happened. I was still trying to figure out what was going through my mind that night._

"_Johnny, come on don't cry," I said and put my arm around him. A tear slid down his cheek. "Come here," I said and pulled Johnny against my side. I didn't care that it looked queer or anything. I don't care what people think._

"_I just, I don't understand why you would do that to yourself," Johnny muttered. He was trying to hide his tears from me. _

"_I don't know. I-Johnny, I thought you died," I said choking on my words. What the hell was the matter with me? I was sitting in the lot, hugging Johnny, about to cry my eyes out! Then I realized, that I didn't really care. Johnny was the only person I would cry about. He was the only person I cared enough about. He was worth the tears._

_Johnny looked up at me. There were tears running quickly down his face. His jaw almost dropped when he realized I was crying too._

"_Dally," he said. "You were gonna kill yourself cause of me?" he asked, stunned. For some reason, this made him cry more._

"_Johnny, man," I said as I felt a tear roll down my face. I didn't bother wiping it away. "I don't know if you know this but, I really care about you. I try and keep you out of trouble, I try and protect you, I do all this stuff cause I love ya, kid," I said through tears. I can't believe I just said that. I don't remember the last time I cried, let alone the last time I told someone I loved them._

_Johnny looked at me again. He was even more stunned than he was before. His eyes were still filled with tears, but they were glowing too. I guess I never realized how Johnny felt about me either. I knew he looked up to me, which he shouldn't considering I'm not exactly a good role model, but I didn't know how much I meant to him._

"_Dally, I love you too, man," Johnny said and hugged me. I hugged him back, not caring that this was the exact opposite of how I'd usually act. I couldn't change the fact that Johnny broke through the shell I built up around myself. I couldn't live without him. It was pointless to go on acting like I didn't really care._

_We didn't talk too much about why we felt that way. I guess we both just understood how the other felt. We both loved each other, and now everything was gonna be okay cause both of us survived that horrible night. _

_After we both calmed down a little, Johnny looked up at the sky. He smiled as he watched the sunset._

"_Dal'," he started. "I want you look at this, real quick."_

_I looked up. All I saw was a sunset. Big deal._

"_Johnny, I-" I started._

"_Just really look at it," he said and looked back at me._

_I looked into sky again. There were lots of colors there. Yellow, orange, pink, and even purple showed in the sky. There were lots of clouds too. I still didn't understand what he was getting at._

"_Nature's first green is gold, her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf's a flower, but only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf, so Eden sank to grief. So dawn goes down to day, nothing gold can stay," Johnny said as he looked at the sunset. Where the hell did he get that from?_

"_It's a poem Pony told me. He said he could never understand it, but I get what it means. It means that you're gold when you're a kid, like green. When you're a kid everything's new, dawn. It's just when you get used to everything that it's day. I wanted you to watch a sunset. I didn't think you'd seen one before," he said quietly._

_He was right. I never bothered to look up at it. It was just a sunset. It meant that it was almost night time. But this time when I looked up, I tried to think of what Johnny said._

"_I wanted to show you that there's still good in the world, Dally. I know you like fights, and you don't like showing your feelings and all that, but I just wanted you to know that the world isn't such a bad place. I mean, I don't exactly have a perfect life. My parents don't care about me, and I get beat by Socs all the time. But, I have great people in my life. I have you, and I have the gang. And I survived that fire. I mean, I'm not that religious but, I guess God finally came through for me. Maybe he thought I deserved another chance," Johnny said taking his eyes of the sunset and looking at me._

_Johnny deserved way better than he got. He saved all those kids from that fire, not even thinking about himself. Even on his death bed, he said he didn't regret what he did. He said those kids were worth it. I didn't think I deserved another chance. I had made up my mind about things a long time ago. I decided to get hard and tough. Nothing could hurt me if I had no weaknesses. If I just shut people out, I'd survive. Johnny made me realize that life isn't just about surviving, it's about living. Even though I still didn't think the world was as good as he made it sound, I would try and look at it that way. I would try for Johnny._

Since then, I was trying to have a better attitude, at least around Johnny. I wasn't that good at changing through. Old habits die hard, I guess.

"Hey, Johnny?" I asked him and he looked up. "You going home tonight?"

"Nah. I guess I'll just stay in the lot," he said and sighed. It must be a bad day at his house again. God, I got so mad whenever I thought of Johnny's parents. The only reason I didn't go over there and beat the shit outta them was cause I knew it would hurt Johnny. For some reason, Johnny still cared about his parents even after all they put him through.

"I'll stay with ya," I said, putting my arm around him.

"Ya sure?" he said uncertainly.

"Of course, I'm sure," I said as we made our way to the lot.

LPOV

I walked into my house. My mom yelled out to me from the living room, asking me how everything went. Like I didn't see that coming. I walked in and saw my mom, my brother, and my dad watching some cartoon.

"So. How did everything go?" my mom asked me.

"It was fine. We got a coke, then we hung out at Cherry's house. I even met her friend Marcia," I told her.

"Oh that's great! See, I told you you'd make some friends. Now tomorrow wouldn't be too bad," she told me smiling.

I couldn't help but smile back. She was right. At least I'd go into school knowing a few people.

I said good night to them all and walked into my room. I got changed and laid down on my bed. It wasn't that late but I was really tired.

I thought back to what happened at Cherry's house. After she told me about the Greasers, she invited Marcia over. She was nice and pretty funny. We just hung out and talked about things like boys, music, the usual stuff.

They both told me all about the high school. They talked about the cutest guys, the weirdest people, and the groups to stay away from. I could have sworn they'd mention more about the Socs and the Greasers, but I guessed it was still a touchy subject. Cherry told me she usually tried not to think about it.

I laid down and thought about Dally. Boy, was he handsome. Cherry told me to stay away from him. She said he was bad news. I tried to take what she said about him seriously, but I couldn't. I'd have to find out for myself, I guess. She told me I wouldn't have to worry that much though, cause he doesn't go to school.

I still couldn't believe all of things she said. Things like rumbles going on all the time, and people getting jumped. I'd never experienced any of those things. The town I came from was small and humble. It had it's problems, just like any place had, but not like this. Well, this is my home now, I thought to myself. I'd have to get used to it. No doubt it would take way longer than I had thought.


End file.
